The Thrill of the "Marathon"

When I was about 14 yrs old, I remember flipping the channels & totally stopping when I saw a small thin woman running her heart out. I was amazed at all the wonderful support she was getting from the crowd. All of a sudden, she was coming towards the finish line & she threw her arms up in the air & broke the tape! The cheers grew louder and I remember getting goosebumps and tears and saying, "I want to do that one day!" My mom looked at me like I had two heads & for the most part no one paid any attention to me. Besides, I was just 14yrs old & just watched Olga Markova win the Los Angeles Marathon (26.2 miles!) in 2:30.

I could not get that image out of my head & woke up the next morning to run on Queens Blvd at 5am so I could get to school on time. I was so excited! I went out that chilly morning and started to run & within a couple of blocks, got a severe stitch on my side, so I ended up walking back. Once I got back home, my whole face was burning up in sweat and that to me felt AWESOME! But,I knew right then that this was going to be crazy HARD! I was not going to give up and gave myself weekly goals to run 2 blocks farther than the week before. By the end of that year, I was practically running the whole Queens Boulevard from 48th Street to the Courthouse on 118th Street (about 7 miles!).

At 15yrs of age, I was living on my own, but never gave up on that goal! I joined the New York Road Runner's Club and started attending running classes & racing. Once I turned 16, I wrote a letter to the president of the organization at the time, Mr. Allan Steinfeld explaining my living/financial situation. He waived the entry fee & I was now all set to run my first ever NYC Marathon! I wanted to feel like that woman crossing the finish line even if at the moment had little to no support. I was doing this for me...

The day of the 26.2 mile foot race was here! I had my "red best friend" & it was ridiculously cold, but it was the day I had dreamed about for 2 years. Hearing that gun go off in Staten Island on the Verranzanno Bridge was electrifying! I felt wonderful up until mile 16 when we crossed the 59th Street Bridge..Coming off of the bridge into the amazing crowd on 1st Avenue kept me going until mile 20. I couldn't believe I had 6.2 miles left to go. My whole body ached and every step I took was painful, but I willed myself to that glorious finish line! Entering Central Park & hearing the cheers of the spectators & crossing that finish line was something I will never ever forget. If I could do this, I could do ANYTHING and during any time of challenges throughout my life, I just remember how I never gave up here or anywhere...

I went on to run 10 NYC Marathons, 2 Boston, 1 Chicago & 1 Steamtown Marathon..On Sunday, October 31, 2010, I will be running my 15th marathon at the Marine Corps Marathon. I am always so very grateful & thankful to my higher power for giving me the strength & that "never give up" attitude from a very young age.

It has always been my goal to help & inspire others as well, so after 15 weeks of training, my big sister Jackie & my wonderful manager & special friend, Johnny are all set to run Marine Corps as well. This marathon will totally ROCK!

Every marathon is special to me as I set new goals & I am reminded of how far I have come from the very first marathon 15 years ago!

"Each Marathon, Each fight is a direct reflection of how I deal with my everyday challenges!"



Much Love,

Patty Boom Boom
www.patriciaalcivar.com
"Face Your Fears, Live Your Dreams!"

My experience with a Bully!

We all experience challenges through life which teach us a valuable lesson, but at 32yrs of age and currently enrolled in a special EMT/Paramedic program, I did not expect to have a "Bully" who literally had me in tears for weeks!

Getting into this program was something I totally valued and was going to do my very best to excel. With education being so expensive and the economy being the way it is, I cannot imagine not being grateful and taking full advantage of this amazing opportunity. My enthusiasm definitely showed as I was consistently in school early, turned in all my assignments, participated in class and scored high on all my exams.

However, there was one guy in his mid 20's who received all the attention. He had a military background and had been in Afghanistan for a couple of years. He definitely had a-lot of potential and spoke intelligently when he wanted to. But, he was aggressive, loud & consistently disruptive in class which had me so perplexed when half of the class seemed fascinated with him. There were a few instances where the class was on a "study/reading" break and "the bully" took this chance to show highly inappropriate videos from his iPhone. I have never been a follower and was not about to start either..

My lack of participation in the Bully's discussions definitely prompted attention and one day as I was walking into the classroom he shouted "snobby bitch". I turned right around & walk up to him and said "Excuse Me" and he just started laughing. My heart was beating crazy fast and I felt myself shaking. I just wished that he was having a bad day and that he confused me with someone else. Unfortunately, things got much worse throughout the next few weeks. He changed his usual seat in the back of the classroom to sitting right next to me and made my days in school a nightmare!

This was going to be a true test of patience, resilience and faith for me. In my mind, this bully was intolerant of contrary opinion, domineering and a total coward, but kept questioning myself why I was one of the very few who can see this and why was he picking on me?

I did not let him intimidate me and the more he teased me, the harder I studied for my exams and did everything as perfectly as I could in hopes that I would make it to the next phase of the program and he didn't. I wanted to keep everything inside, but realized that one of the very important things in my life is the wonderful people I have surrounded myself with. I did open up about it and had awesome support & advice from my family, friends and a special teacher.

Getting through each day was an incredible task and I felt mentally & physically drained from all I was taking. Morning prayers, my daily exercise and appearing to be extra confident in class gave me hope that justice would be done.

The end of the first phase was quickly approaching, so the exams were getting tougher. The Bully would blatantly cheat with a few classmates and even showed pornography films from his iPhone while I had to listen to all of this. There were a few students who I knew did not agree with this crazy behavior and there was a rumor that a few had complained when the bully was pulled out to have a talk with the Director of the program.

The last week came and we had to absolutely pass the CPR practical & written exams with an 85% or higher. We would be judged on EVERYTHING which included: Assignments, Scores on all Exams, Attendance, Participation & Professionalism. It was emphasized to us that even if we were great students with high marks but lacked a professional attitude/work ethic, we would be dismissed from the program. I had so much faith that some of the teachers could see how horrible the bully was and allowing him to move on in this program would be a big mistake.

The last day had arrived...I had passed all my exams with flying colors, but so did the bully! The last day consisted of "Team Building" activities. We were broken up into 5 groups of six students. I had so much fun for the most part..One of the last games consisted of a relay race where 3 members had long splints bandaged to their feet (imagine 3 people being on long skis). My team had an awesome strategy and we marched in place to a good cadence and when they said "GO" we went! We won and it was awesome! 2nd round came and it was my turn to lead my team on the skis...The bully's team was right next to me. When they said "Go" the bully and his classmate came from behind & shoved me! I fell hard right on my tail bone and sprained my ankle. This was a relay race and there was so much excitement that I did not think any of the instructors including the Director saw what had just happened. I shook it off and got right back up, got my team together & kept marching. We still won :)

My head kept going around in a million circles and questioned whether I should tell any of the instructors/director. My classmates saw what happened and I was hurting physically and emotionally. It took everything for me to stay quiet as I had the most incredible faith that somehow someone saw what happened & this bully would just not move on to the next phase. We would get a phone call that evening notifying us whether we should show up to class the next day for the beginning of the next phase.

I got a wonderful voicemail last Thursday evening congratulating me for making into the next phase. I was so happy and just remembered all my accomplishments in life. If for some reason the bully made it into the next phase, I would approach the situation as I have with all the other challenges in my life: Determination, Patience, Resilience & never ending FAITH!

Friday morning, I walked into class and felt a weight lifted off my shoulders when I realized that the bully and his friend who had shoved me were not there...They had been dismissed! From over 300 applicants, 44 students were chosen for the first vestibule phase and now we are down to 27 students!

It is very unfortunate that bullying occurs at any point in our lives whether it is in school or at work. However, I believe the experience can teach us very valuable lessons about ourselves. There were so many times that I wanted to NOT come back from lunch, where I was hanging by a thread and still hung on and just did not give up hope ever!

I am so very thankful to all the great support and advice I received. Every person has a way of handling these types of situation. Patience, Resilience, Confidence & Faith are always my way and definitely not being afraid to open up and seek help!

I truly believe that these "Bullies" can be used as a metaphor in our everyday lives to never give up hope/faith and always try to keep pressing forward no matter what!

Much Love,

Patricia
Patty Boom Boom
www.patriciaalcivar.com
"Face Your Fears, Live Your Dreams"

It's Never Too Late!

I have been involved in some sort of sports for as long as I can remember. It has always been part of my lifestyle and a wonderful outlet for me, but I always felt something was missing especially after leaving home at the age of 15.

Once I started competing in Martial Arts, Running & then Boxing, I was never fueled by anger. My motivation has always been and always will be to be the best that I can be and prove to myself that I am worthy and can accomplish my goals. However, growing up I did hold on to anger especially towards my mom and was not spiritual. Although it never showed externally, I felt bitter about my childhood and had so many questions and feelings of insecurity.

Throughout the years, I struggled as I felt that being bitter was something toxic that would eventually eat me up slowly inside and I did not want to live like that. True forgiveness is something that is done with your body, mind and spirit, and it's not easy. One of the things I constantly talk about is faith and it is definitely one of the things that has helped me in my journey along with years of counseling and self awareness.

It is so hard to forgive because you might think you're "letting the other person off the hook" by forgiving them. Forgiving is for you, not the other person. Forgiveness allows you to return to love, to the good person you truly are and simply a matter of letting go of anger and resentment, and taking responsibility for your own emotional and physical situation. When you refuse to forgive, you might feel like you're punishing the other person, when in fact you're only punishing yourself.

So, this is part of what I was missing & slowly, but surely have found that peace within myself. I am now closer to my mom than I ever was and amazingly it has made me a better and stronger person and athlete! Earlier this year, I watched my 65-year old mom participate in her first 5k which was incredible! I speak with my mom on a daily basis & feel blessed to have the support I never had before. It really is NEVER too Late! I now fight, run and compete with even more purpose than before and for that, I am so very thankful.

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Gandhi

Much Love,

Patty Boom Boom
www.patriciaalcivar.com

Why I Do What I Do...

I have definitely been asked this questions so many times in so many different ways..I will try to explain, but give you some background first.

I am one of 4 sisters who grew up in a 2-bedroom apartment in Woodside, Queens with crazy strict parents. My father was an alcoholic and incredibly abusive to me in every way possible. It was a complete nightmare when he was drunk and would threaten to set the house on fire. I remember trying to go to a different place in my mind that would make me happy. Those images usually consisted of replaying my ballet routines at the time or the compliment the teacher gave me in school for a good report or grades.

At a very young age, I quickly learned how to use positive images to make me happy. I absolutely loved the feeling of performing in front of a crowd during my ballet shows. I loved the outlet it provided as well as the positive attention I received. Additionally, I would see people smile and I realized that through my ballet (athletics), I was also able to make people happy and that made me happy...

Furthermore, living in very poor conditions taught me to be grateful & appreciate everything I have today including a roof over my head, food to eat and clothing. Throughout the years, I continue to apply what I learned at such a young age to my everyday life. I love the outlet, health benefits, and mental/spiritual growth that exercising and competition provides. I also learned to apply the principles I use in competition. For Example, I ran my first NYC Marathon when I was 16 years old. No one believed I could or should.... When I crossed that amazing finish line, I knew that if I could do this, I could do anything with FAITH and never ever giving up no matter how high the odds were...

Today, I continue this same path and that is doing the things that make me the happiest, pursuing excellence & my dreams, being grateful, and making other people smile! All of my life is a journey; which paths I take, what I look back on, and what I look forward to is up to me. I determine my destination, what kind of road I will take to get there, and how happy I am when I get there!

This is "Why I Do, What I Do"

"If the essence of my being has caused a smile to have appeared upon your face or a touch of joy wtihin your heart, then in living I have made my mark."

Much Love,

Patty Boom Boom

The Power of FAITH!

This picture pretty much sums it up for me...When I realized the fight had been stopped at 1:06 of the 4th round during my second professional fight last Friday, May 14th in Orlando, Florida, I looked up and thanked my higher power which to me is God. This was definitely a magical moment for me as getting to that place was nothing short of a miracle...

3 weeks before my scheduled bout, an MRI revealed a stress fracture on my right foot. A few days prior to that, a kettle bell dropped on my foot making it vulnerable to further injury, however, I couldn't stop training and I kept running and pounding on that foot until I was severely limping. The podiatrist was about to put my foot in an air cast for the required 4-6 weeks! I was in tears and told him how much this fight meant to me. When you speak to someone with sincerity, chances are that you will be heard. This Doctor was wonderful and taught me how to tape my foot as well as customized all my footwear with the proper cushion to relieve the pressure of the stressed bone.

I was to lay off the pounding which meant no long distance running or jumping. I got my heart pounding fix by doing hour long speed drills on the bike & elliptical machine. I made sure to tape my foot up well before my sparring sessions and not wince too much from the ridiculous pain. I was also wearing these crazy hard plastic orthopedics in my shoe that made my feet fall asleep, however, the toughest part was keeping this quiet from just about everyone. Two weeks later, I was scheduled to participate in a tough adventure run called the "Tough Mudder" which consisted of 7 miles of trail running with 17 obstacle courses designed by the British Military.

The thought of skipping this event did cross my mind, but I knew I would have felt as I had let myself down as waiting for everything to be perfect is not my style. Taking risks is what life is all about! I went forward with this event and I am so glad I did! I ended up finishing among the top women in an excellent time and had CBS do a special feature on me (which I just got confirmation will definitely air this Wednesday, May 19th on channel 2 during the Early show from 8-9am)...

After this event though, my foot was extra sore followed by extra hours of icing and pain. The training continued and then all of a sudden the week before my fight, my bout was cancelled! The replacement was going to be a tough and very experienced Mexican fighter. My only fight as a professional was back in October last year and I definitely had doubts, but it just made me NOT want to give up this opportunity to fight again as a co-main event feature under Hector "Macho" Camacho. I see every difficulty as a challenge, a stepping stone so I can never feel defeated by anything or anyone!

The week of the fight, I was waking up each day with feelings of amazing gratitude and hope even though there were still so many things that were up in the air. I felt that the only way to survive was with dignity, pride and courage. Everything fell into place literally at the very last moment and that was when I was raising up my hands in the end...

I am eternally grateful to my wonderful corner for being there and those closest to me. Thank you for your continued support throughout my journey! Although, these challenges teach me about life and having faith & patience it is extremely rewarding to be able to share my experiences and know that they have touched people in different ways.

"Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God."

Much Love,
Patty Boom Boom

Change is GOOD!

The title of my blog is "Change is Good", but Gosh it is so hard to accept sometimes huh? We get used to our daily routines, the people we know, the food we eat and basically our comfort zone. I am a total planner & had planned my 2010 completely different to what it has been so far.

Some very extremely painful personal experiences forced me to move back to NYC after living in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, North Carolina for the past 2.5 years. In Asheville, I totally got used to the amazing friendly people greeting you at the supermarkets, gyms, and trails while you are running. I got used to the little traffic where rarely someone honks their horn and where potholes are scarce and there is never a need to parallel park :). I got used to leaving the door to my home open & going out for crazy long walks/hikes with my dog Jack in the middle of the day during a break from work. I had also (believe it or not) got used to the 7hr round trip drive to the boxing gym I trained out of a few times per week and then all of a sudden everything came to a dramatic stop!

I am definitely not a stranger to adversity and have faced countless challenges in my 32 years. I have learned all about being a fighter from a very young age living in a severely abusive home and leaving at the age of 15. I survived living in NYC from that young age by continuing to go to school while supporting myself working after school at a Sneaker Store and exercising as my only outlet.

From then on, through out my life, I have had a roller coaster of moments ranging from OUTSTANDING to HORRIBLE! I have learned to rely on my faith and truly believe that "Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be."

Moving back to NYC has actually been harder than moving away. I guess being in the situation that caused me to move back had something to do with it, but having to literally start over from scratch and the overwhelming feelings of uncertainty has been one of the most difficult experiences to date. But, through all these difficulties, I have relied on my faith and realized that I would never have amounted to anything were it not for adversity. I was forced to come up the hard way and in the process, I am embracing the change as "It is ALL for a GOOD Reason!"

This new change has allowed me to go back to my old gym, Trinity Boxing where I am definitely getting quality training and has allowed me to team up with a new management group in Florida. It has also enabled me to be closer to my sister, nephews/niece, mom and even be closer to my church.

With all these unexpected changes, it has never deterred me from my goals and dreams. I continue to see life as an incredible adventure and participating in crazy weekend races & my daily training has helped keep a positive outlook. My focus at the moment is on my upcoming fight in May, so stay tuned for the latest updates/announcements. Ready or Not, Here Comes the Boom!

So, while nothing in this lifetime is permanent, I am taking all this new change in and making the absolute best out of it! CHANGE IS GOOD!

"Each difficult moment has the potential to open my eyes and open my heart."

Much Love,

Patricia "Patty Boom Boom" Alcivar
Face Your Fears, Live Your Dreams
www.patriciaalcivar.com

Patty Boom Boom Hits the Runway!

January 2010 has started off with a big BOOM in every way! But,it all has not gone exactly as planned...My last three consecutive bouts fell through. The most recent one on January 28th where I was suppose to box at the Charlotte Convention Center for "Fight Night for Kids" was one of the most disappointing & heartbreaking to date. Everything seemed to be going well for the most part. I mean, my opponent at least showed up for the weigh-ins this time even though she was 6lbs over & the commission allowed her a 5lb allowance. I was completely convinced & focused on the fight happening until the next day where my opponent failed the pregnancy test a few hours before the fight. I was devastated and just broke down & cried for a very long time...It was going to take a-lot of faith & inner strength to stay motivated.

Between this fight being cancelled & some personal problems, it was an extremely difficult week for me where I struggled more than I could ever remember. Two major things helped me get through this amazingly challenging week. First and foremost was FAITH! Going to church & just pouring everything into my prayers was extremely powerful! Secondly, In these times of adversity and challenges, you quickly find out who your real friends & supporters are. I am so very thankful to my big sis, my lifelong friend/old trainer Martin, & a few other wonderful people (you know who you are) who had encouraging words and so much wisdom to share.

I was able to pull myself together just in time for my WNC Magazine Fashion runway debut yesterday, February 5th. I have so much to live for & I am after all a fighter in every sense of the word. Wow! What an amazing experience! I have a whole new respect for modeling as it is not as easy as you may think...As with anything in life, its all about the attitude, energy & focus. If you are tentative or not fully present, people can feel it. You have to walk to the music, love what you are wearing, be fully present and most important of all, love/feel good about yourself.

I felt the anxiety build up just as if I was waiting to get in a ring, except this time, I was waiting to go out on the runway in heels :). Most of the time I am in either sneakers or boxing shoes, so this is not my area of expertise, however, I had faith that this was my moment to shine & make the best out of it!

I had 5 scenes:
Flower Scene, where I wore a plain black above knee black dress while really focusing on featuring the beautiful flower arrangements...I came out & smiled, smelled the flowers & took the moment in...It was flawless & I could hear & feel the crowd's support!

Vintage Scene (my favorite & pictured above), I wore a thigh high, sapphire blue velvet dress with a yellow silk belt & blue/flower print shoes..I loved the dress & my energy was crazy high & I became the crowd favorite after this dress!

Cocktail Scene, I wore a gorgeous White & Black Bustier with elegant black pants & a beautiful pair of crazy high black lacy heels accompanied by a very sophisticated mini flowered handbag. Totally wowed the crowd with this outfit..Big Bonus: Did not trip or fall in the super high heels!

Lingerie Scene, To my surprise, I was very comfortable in this baby doll sheer black night gown that was definitely a crowd pleaser.

Finale Scene, In this scene the producer assigns you back to a dress they feel was the one you looked the best in & that for me was the "vintage dress" so I got back in my velvet thigh high Sapphire blue dress & finished my runway debut with a KO!

Talking about Facing you Fears & Living your Dreams...In this particular fashion show, each of the models had the entire runway for themselves each time we went out to model a specific scene/outfit. The minute we walked off the runway, we had to sprint backstage & had "dressers" undress & dress us for the next scene!! OMG! Another first for me!! It was about letting go & putting your trust in someone else...I took every moment and had a blast! I am so grateful for having the opportunity & look forward to doing it again soon. This was all filmed & hope to have the video & pictures soon, so stay tuned!

In closing, I just needed to say that Courage is a wonderful phenomenon! Anyone can possess it indeed and it is an everlasting feeling grown from a tender and loving seed. Courage is standing up for yourself when everyone is tearing you apart and living the best life possible and doing so with all your heart. I Thank God for giving me the courage to keep fighting for everything I believe in...

"Faith calls my name in my most trying moments & is my most trusted companion that never leaves me," Patty Boom Boom
Much Love,

Patty Boom Boom
www.patriciaalcivar.com